What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?

Sometimes, I catch myself grumbling. While I know better than to complain about thing, know I need to take care not to focus my attention of events and circumstances that displease me, I natural observe a lot. It’s part of me learning process. So, at the risk of sounding like I am complaining (I assure, I am not!), I’d like to share some of my recent observations.

Yesterday, for whatever reason, the boss decided it was a good day for a few of them to recount to me the reason they are after management to beef up the security (put in security cameras) in our office building complex. Apparently, last July there was a swat situation in the building. On a day when everyone was planning on hightailing it out of there early for the 4th of July weekend, they ended up on lockdown because some crazy person who had carjacked a vehicle and then abandoned it nearby was suspected of being in the building. They had a grand time telling me the story.

I also heard tales of some poor folks who managed to have two different closings fall through at the last possible moment. The day before, I heard from a friend of mine about another friend who had been recounting tales of horror about her recent trip to California to bury her aunt.

My reaction when I heard the tale of the couple who two closing falling through was that they must of gleaned a lot of sympathy and mileage out of the first go ‘round to be repeating the situation. The Universe is listening. When you are putting that much energy into the grumbling, you had best consider whether the entertainment value is high enough for you to want to repeat it, because seriously, with that kind of energy around the story – boom! You are asking for a rerun.

I was thinking about it because my friend with the dead aunt loves to tell stories. She will tell the same story over and over to as many people who will listen. Now, I have no problem with that. I don’t begrudge her the thrill of the drama of it all. I love a good head-shaking, tongue clucking, OMG story. I do. I am just concerned for my friend, because I’m not sure she understands how the Law of Attraction works. I don’t know that she is stopping to consider that how she tells the story matters.

She isn’t noticing that she is grumbling.

Are they victims in the story? Are they at the center of insanity? I just ask because I think it sets the tone for how that energy echoes out into the world and I happen to believe that’s important. I think that when you recount a story about how something happened “to you” (straight out of the gate, I’m betting on victim stance, however unwittingly) that the energy that surrounds that story is like a magnet. And the more gusto used to relate it, the more likely it is to breed and have babies.

This is the same friend who lost a good chunk of money on her last flip. The one who currently has another house on the market that she doesn’t seem to be getting any bites on. I listen to her mom tell the tale about what is happening with the property and I want to tell her to make up a tale of victory and good cheer. They are friends of mine. I want them to be successful.

At the office, I find myself wondering how smoothly they really want things to go, because they seem to be getting mileage at of the drama around the hiccups. They seem to enjoy the assigning of guilt. I don’t care really, I’m just noticing, as much for myself as anyone, because I’ve been there. I’ve invented tales of outrage and disbelief. After I recognized how much “poor me” mileage I was getting out of the end of our old business, I had to consciously reframe the story.

Because seriously, do I want to be stuck in the outcome of that sadness forever?

These days, my stories of what is happening are much more upbeat. I don’t want the drama. I don’t want the tragedy. Those old stories are just that – stories. I get to decide how I want to paint them; what the fringe benefits are. I sure don’t want to glue myself to some sad tale, especially since in the long run, it is invariably the times I thought I was on “hard times” that my greatest growth occurred. When I’m in the middle of the drama, I have no idea what the long-term effect will be. I particularly can’t see it when I am stuck in “poor me.”

So, it is important to watch what I’m grumbling about. It’s an invitation of sorts. If I don’t what the circumstances as permanent house guests, I’d best not feed them.